Daunorubicin-induced cell kill with 1-hour versus 24-hour infusions: a randomized comparison in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Daunorubicin (DNR) is one of the most important drugs in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Prolonged infusions of anthracyclines are less cardiotoxic but it has not been investigated whether the in vivo leukemic cell kill is equivalent to short-term infusions.

Procedure: In the cooperative treatment study COALL-92 for childhood ALL 178 patients were randomized to receive in a therapeutic window a single dose of 36 mg/m (2) DNR either as a 1-h (85 patients) or 24-h infusion (93 patients).

Patient stratification based on prednisolone-vincristine-asparaginase resistance profiles in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Purpose: To confirm the prognostic value of a drug resistance profile combining prednisolone, vincristine, and l-asparaginase (PVA) cytotoxicity in an independent group of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with a different protocol and analyzed at longer follow-up compared with our previous study of patients treated according to the Dutch Childhood Leukemia Study Group (DCLSG) ALL VII/VIII protocol.

Patients And Methods: Drug resistance profiles were determined in 202 children (aged 1 to 18 years) with newly diagnosed ALL who were treated according to the German Cooperative Study Group for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (COALL)-92 protocol.

Results: At a median follow-up of 6.

Thioguanine offers no advantage over mercaptopurine in maintenance treatment of childhood ALL: results of the randomized trial COALL-92.

The German cooperative study group for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (COALL-92) was designed to examine the clinical effectiveness of thioguanine (TG) versus mercaptopurine (MP) in maintenance treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in a randomized multicenter trial. TG and MP are prodrugs and have to be converted intracellularly to 6-thioguanine nucleotides (TGNs) for cytostatic activity. TG is converted into TGN in fewer steps and has been shown to be more cytotoxic in equimolar doses in vitro compared with 6-MP.

[Improved treatment results in children with AML: Results of study AML-BFM 93].

Background: In the multicenter trial AML-BFM 93 daunorubicin or idarubicin was randomly applied in all patients during induction in combination with cytarabine and etoposide. After induction all patients were stratified to the standard or high risk group. To improve outcome in high risk patients high dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone (HAM) was introduced.

Multimodal treatment of malignant sacrococcygeal germ cell tumors: a prospective analysis of 66 patients of the German cooperative protocols MAKEI 83/86 and 89.

Purpose: To evaluate a multimodal approach including surgery and cisplatinum chemotherapy for treatment of children with malignant sacrococcygeal germ cell tumors (GCT) and to compare adjuvant and neoadjuvant strategies in advanced tumors.

Patients And Methods: Between 1983 and 1995, 71 patients with malignant sacrococcygeal GCT were prospectively enrolled onto the German protocols for nontesticular GCT Maligne Keimzelltumoren 83/86 and 89. Five patients who received no chemotherapy (n = 2) or nonplatinum chemotherapy (n = 2) or who did not undergo tumor resection (n = 1) were excluded from this analysis.

[Minimal residual disease analysis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood within the framework of COALL Study: results of an induction therapy without asparaginase].

Unlabelled: The detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) is a major prognostic factor for treatment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) of childhood. Several groups showed the predictive value of MRD after 5 weeks of chemotherapy (at the end of induction therapy). Patients with more than 1 leukemic cells in 100 cells (> or = 10(-2)) at this time-point have a significantly higher relapse rate.

[Antiinfectious prophylaxis in pediatric oncology. Work group "Quality Assurance" of Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH)].

Infections in disease- and/or chemotherapy-related neutropenia are major, often emergency-type problems in the treatment of pediatric oncology patients and explain the ongoing discussion about antiinfectious prophylaxis. The different aspects of prophylaxis and an overview on the literature are presented. Antiinfectious prophylaxis in pediatric oncology includes the following issues: 1.

Cellular drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia: literature review and preliminary analysis of an ongoing collaborative study.

Cellular drug resistance is one of the main causes of the frequent ultimate failure of chemotherapy in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We here summarize the results of a literature review on in vitro drug resistance in childhood AML, focusing on studies using so-called cell culture assays. We also briefly describe some results of an ongoing collaborative study between the Research Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology in Amsterdam (University Hospital Vrije Universiteit) and the German BFM-AML Group.

Treatment of children with relapsed soft tissue sarcoma: report of the German CESS/CWS REZ 91 trial.

Background: The present study was performed to evaluate the possibilities of relapse treatment in patients heavily pretreated for a soft tissue sarcoma.

Patients And Methods: Prospective, multicenter study in 44 soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients with first relapse. Primary diagnosis was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RME) in 17 patients, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMA) in 13, primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) in 6, and miscellaneous soft tissue sarcomas in 8 patients.

Medullomyoblastoma: a histological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and molecular genetic study.

Medullomyoblastoma is a rare variant of medulloblastoma containing myoblastic elements. A 9-year-old boy developed a cerebellar syndrome and signs of increased intracranial pressure, the cause of which was a tumor of the cerebellar vermis measuring 7 x 4.5 x 4.

Primary malignant rhabdoid tumours of the central nervous system: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study.

Three cases of primary rhabdoid tumour of the CNS (RT-CNS) are presented. In case 1 a hemispheric tumour developed in a 10.5 months old girl, who survived for 6 months after incomplete resection, radio- and polychemotherapy.

Randomized comparison of rotational chemotherapy in high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of childhood--follow up after 9 years. Coall Study Group.

Unlabelled: A frequent change of drug combinations may circumvent drug resistance in the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). In study COALL 85/89 201 children with high-risk ALL were randomized to receive over a period of 8 months rotational chemotherapy with six drug combinations given either in slow rotation (SR) (each combination given twice in succession) or in rapid rotation (RR) (each combination given once with a repetition of the drug combinations). Treatment of central nervous system leukaemia consisted of cranial irradiation and intrathecal methotrexate.

Successful liver treatment of a juvenile granulosa cell tumor in a 4-year-old child by regional deep hyperthermia, systemic chemotherapy, and irradiation.

Juvenile granulosa cell tumors (JGCT) of the ovary are rare in children and adolescents. About 90% are diagnosed in early-stage FIGO I with favorable prognosis. More advanced stages (FIGO II-IV) have a poor clinical outcome and chemotherapy alone cannot avoid tumor progression.

[Improved prognosis of intracranial germ cell tumors by intensified therapy: results of the MAKEI 89 therapy protocol].

Germ cell tumors of the central nervous system are histological identical to the extracranial tumor sites. According to the localisation germ cell tumors of the CNS are different in symptoms, diagnostic approaches, kind and location of metastases and stratification of therapy. Since 1986 patients with intracranial germ cell tumors are registered in the ongoing study for non-testicular germ cell tumors (MAKEI) of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, and are treated in accordance to therapy guidelines for extracranial sites.

[Effect of dose intensity and therapy-induced leukocytopenia in intensive therapy on the prognosis of acute lymphatic leukemia in childhood. Results in 213 patients of the COALL-85 study].

Dose intensity (DI) plays an important role in the treatment of neoplastic diseases. The individual DI within a protocol may vary considerably and thus may be an important prognostic factor. In 213/305 patients treated in the cooperative study COALL-85 for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia the following parameters of individual therapy intensity were analyzed: Total time for intensive treatment, cumulative doses of single drugs, mean relative dose (= relation between received and prescribed doses of all drugs), mean relative dose intensity ( = mean relative dose/time) as well as frequency and duration of leukocytopenia.

[Initial response to therapy as an important prognostic factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood. COALL study group].

Prognostic factors to estimate the risk of relapse are crucial for risk-adapted therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In a cooperative multicenter treatment study for childhood ALL (COALL-03-85) the prognostic relevance of the bone marrow (BM) blast count at day 28 was evaluated. Treatment was adjusted to the initial risk factors; patients with high risk (white blood count (WBC) greater than or equal to 25/nl, age greater than or equal to 10 years, T- or NULL-ALL) received intensified therapy consisting of rotation of 6 non cross-resistant drug combinations with 12 different agents.

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the common bile duct.

A 2 4/12-year-old boy with obstructive jaundice caused by a tumor of the portal area that proved to be an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the common bile duct is reported. The diagnosis was made clinically, radiographically, ultrasonographically, and histologically. Surgery was elected as the primary therapy; there were no intra- or postoperative complications.

[The importance of preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 373 children with Wilms' tumor].

Between 1980 and 1988, in a prospective study of 373 children with Wilms' tumour throughout the Federal Republic of Germany, the results of various pre- and postoperative treatment schedules were analysed. There were 184 boys and 189 girls, mean age 3 11/12 (0-27) years. One third each was in group I, II or III-V, respectively.

[Intracranial germ cell tumors: analysis of the therapy study MAKEI 83/86 and changes in protocol for the follow-up study].

As part of the Cooperative Germ Cell Tumors Studies MAKEI 83/86 of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology, 37 patients with intracranial germ cell tumors were registered. Based on histological criteria and tumor markers, 26 were classified as germinomas, 9 as fully malignant non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (2 yolk sac tumors, 1 embryonal carcinoma, 1 choriocarcinoma, 5 mixed type germ cell tumors), and 2 were mature teratomas. Of 26 patients with germinomas, 14 received radiotherapy only, all patients are surviving disease-free, median period of observation: 2 years, 10 patients were treated with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, 8 of these patients are surviving disease-free.

Combination chemotherapy in malignant non-seminomatous germ-cell tumors: results of a cooperative study of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology (MAKEI 83).

In January 1983, the German Society of Pediatric Oncology started a cooperative trial (MAKEI 83) for non-testicular germ-cell tumors. The pilot phase closed in December 1985. The treatment regimen was stratified according to histology, tumor site and tumor stage.

New aspects in the treatment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma: results of the German Cooperative Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Study (CWS-81).

The results of the German Co-operative Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Study (CWS-81) of the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma are presented. Prior to the introduction of chemotherapy only 10%-20% of the children were successfully treated. Combined multi-agent cytostatic treatment improved the results dramatically.